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Blessing of the Pets
  
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By Kassia Micek
With tails wagging and ears perked, dogs and cats lined up for the chance to receive a blessing from the pastor.
Students at St. James Episcopal School, which houses classes for 2-year-olds through sixth-graders, had a chance to show off their pets, while their furry friends participated in the Blessings of the Pets in memory of St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals and ecology.
“We do it because it goes along with the Episcopal tradition of St. Francis,” Director Tiffany Forester said. “He was an animal lover.
“We do this so the kids can bring their animals to get blessed.”
All 100 students, along with some parents, clutched leases as their pets pulled inquisitively toward others gathered around.
“I just want him to stay with me at school and play with me,” pre-kindergartner Tyler Warren said about his 11-year-old black lab mix “Bobo.”
Warren’s mother Chrissy held onto the lease as the Rev. Robin K. Reeves blessed “Bobo.”
“He’s old and he needs as much blessing as he can get,” she said about the dog.
Janet Teague and her daughter Nia, a fourth-grader, brought their 6-week-old Chihuahua “Handsom” for a blessing. They attend the Blessing of the Pets every year, Janet said.
Their other dog went missing last year while the family was out of town. After a week of searching for the beloved family pet, he was found.
“I think because he was blessed, it was truly a miracle we found him,” Janet said. “This is a good thing and it’s good for the children.”
The annual event is also meaningful to the Conner family. Last year, students found “Kiki” the cat on the campus.
“She was in a car engine at the school,” mom Tammi Conner said. “The kids heard it at school, and my kids begged me to take her home.”
“Kiki” sat in a cat carrier until it was her turn for a blessing, at which point Tammi took the cat from the carrier, passed the cat to her son Collin, a second-grader, who then gave the cat to Reeves for a blessing.
“This is his favorite animal; and since she was found here, we thought we should bring her back to be blessed,” Tammi said. “We’re just lucky to have her.”
Third-grader Logan Bennet’s dog “Crighton” wasn’t at the school for his blessing, but Logan made sure his pet wasn’t forgotten as he grasped a pictured of the dog.
“He’s big, but he thinks he’s a puppy, so he jumps on people,” Logan said about why he didn’t bring “Crighton.”
Like many students, the third-grader also had his favorite stuffed animal – “Tilley” the turtle – flung over his arm waiting for a blessing from the pastor.
School-wide, students are learning about St. Francis, Forester said.
The St. Francis of Assisi feast day, a day to celebrate a saint’s life and religious work, is Oct. 4. Around this time of year, many congregations celebrate by blessing members’ pets.
On Friday, kindergarten through sixth-graders will visit the St. Francis Wolf Sanctuary in Montgomery.
“That was one of the animals St. Francis took in first,” Forester said.
The Blessing of the Pets for St. James the Apostle Episcopal Church, located at 1803 Highland Hollow Drive in Conroe, has been rescheduled for 3 p.m. Sunday after the event was rained out last Sunday. The public is welcome to participate.
For more information, call (936) 756-8831 or visit www.stjames-conroe.org.
Students at St. James Episcopal School, which houses classes for 2-year-olds through sixth-graders, had a chance to show off their pets, while their furry friends participated in the Blessings of the Pets in memory of St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals and ecology.
“We do it because it goes along with the Episcopal tradition of St. Francis,” Director Tiffany Forester said. “He was an animal lover.
“We do this so the kids can bring their animals to get blessed.”
All 100 students, along with some parents, clutched leases as their pets pulled inquisitively toward others gathered around.
“I just want him to stay with me at school and play with me,” pre-kindergartner Tyler Warren said about his 11-year-old black lab mix “Bobo.”
Warren’s mother Chrissy held onto the lease as the Rev. Robin K. Reeves blessed “Bobo.”
“He’s old and he needs as much blessing as he can get,” she said about the dog.
Janet Teague and her daughter Nia, a fourth-grader, brought their 6-week-old Chihuahua “Handsom” for a blessing. They attend the Blessing of the Pets every year, Janet said.
Their other dog went missing last year while the family was out of town. After a week of searching for the beloved family pet, he was found.
“I think because he was blessed, it was truly a miracle we found him,” Janet said. “This is a good thing and it’s good for the children.”
The annual event is also meaningful to the Conner family. Last year, students found “Kiki” the cat on the campus.
“She was in a car engine at the school,” mom Tammi Conner said. “The kids heard it at school, and my kids begged me to take her home.”
“Kiki” sat in a cat carrier until it was her turn for a blessing, at which point Tammi took the cat from the carrier, passed the cat to her son Collin, a second-grader, who then gave the cat to Reeves for a blessing.
“This is his favorite animal; and since she was found here, we thought we should bring her back to be blessed,” Tammi said. “We’re just lucky to have her.”
Third-grader Logan Bennet’s dog “Crighton” wasn’t at the school for his blessing, but Logan made sure his pet wasn’t forgotten as he grasped a pictured of the dog.
“He’s big, but he thinks he’s a puppy, so he jumps on people,” Logan said about why he didn’t bring “Crighton.”
Like many students, the third-grader also had his favorite stuffed animal – “Tilley” the turtle – flung over his arm waiting for a blessing from the pastor.
School-wide, students are learning about St. Francis, Forester said.
The St. Francis of Assisi feast day, a day to celebrate a saint’s life and religious work, is Oct. 4. Around this time of year, many congregations celebrate by blessing members’ pets.
On Friday, kindergarten through sixth-graders will visit the St. Francis Wolf Sanctuary in Montgomery.
“That was one of the animals St. Francis took in first,” Forester said.
The Blessing of the Pets for St. James the Apostle Episcopal Church, located at 1803 Highland Hollow Drive in Conroe, has been rescheduled for 3 p.m. Sunday after the event was rained out last Sunday. The public is welcome to participate.
For more information, call (936) 756-8831 or visit www.stjames-conroe.org.
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Reader Comments
pprwrtr wrote on Oct 8, 2009 11:05 AM:
" There is nothing cuter than this picture of the kids looking on and being soooo proud of their pets. It's priceless. Pets help kids learn to be responsible. A lot of pets are regarded as sisters/brothers/family members. That's only one reason it is so abhorrent for anyone to hurt them. I hope all kids can have a pet. This event is a wonderful way to let kids be proud of their pets. They are just beaming! Really sweet! "
swol wrote on Oct 8, 2009 8:13 AM: